Any Balsa suppliers in central or Eastern NC?

[Trent Mason]

Hi folks,

I was wondering if there were any sawyers, etc who have balsa wood in the triangle area or in Eastern NC. Any help is greatly appreciated. :icon_thum

Thanks,

Trent

 

[ScottM]

Trent I doubt any local sawyer will have it as "Balsa trees are native to southern Brazil and Bolivia north to southern Mexico."

Found a web site for you to contact:
http://www.nationalbalsa.com/

 

[Trent Mason]

Yep, I figured it would be a long shot, but it was worth a try. Thanks for the info Scott. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up

 

[FredP]

saw4you has tupalo? that it light as a feather. might work depending on the sizes you need.

 

[srhardwoods]

I have some 4/4 and 12/4 basswood that is dry, if you find it will work for you.

Chirs

 

[kooshball]

What are you planning to do with that balsa?

 

[Trent Mason]

Thanks for the replies folks. Myself and a friend of mine wood like to shape solid wood surfboards out of the wood. Balsa has been the wood of choice for solid wood surfboards for many years because it is so light. I am certainly open to the idea of using different types of wood, but would have to do some research to compare the other characteristics of the wood.

The pieces would also have to be pretty thick to allow for rocker (the top and bottom curve) to be shaped. Here is a link to a gallery with pictures of what I'm talking about:

http://www.balsasurfboardsriley.com.au/galleries/surfboards/gall-surfboards.html

 

[kooshball]

This sounds like an awesome project, not to mention what is sure to be a sweet looking board! I assume tht there is a spline in the middle and a layer of clear fiberglass on the outside??

 

[Trent Mason]

This sounds like an awesome project, not to mention what is sure to be a sweet looking board! I assume tht there is a spline in the middle and a layer of clear fiberglass on the outside??

That's correct. Usually the stringers are made of cedar and the outer layer is fiberglass. It should be a very fun and rewarding project.

 

[G_ville_worker]

Very cool. I'm actually in the process of making a board myself right now. Except I'm doing a hollow board with frame. I'm skinning it in cedar. I looked for some balsa online but did not need the sizes you will need. Anything I found shipping kind of made it cost prohibitive.

 

[Trent Mason]

Very cool. I'm actually in the process of making a board myself right now. Except I'm doing a hollow board with frame. I'm skinning it in cedar. I looked for some balsa online but did not need the sizes you will need. Anything I found shipping kind of made it cost prohibitive.

That's awesome Bryan! I thought of using cedar as well, but there are normally so many knots in it. Thought I'd try a solid core board first. Please post some pictures of your progress.

 

[G_ville_worker]

That's awesome Bryan! I thought of using cedar as well, but there are normally so many knots in it. Thought I'd try a solid core board first. Please post some pictures of your progress.

Tell me about it. Kind of a drag going through the lumber at Lowes. I'm actually going by my local sawyer tomorrow to check out some of his red cedar and see what he has. He also mentioned that he has Cypress but I have never worked with it. I'll check it out.

 

[kooshball]

Would white cedar work, the stuff I buy for drawer bottoms is usually pretty clear in terms of knots?

Tell me about it. Kind of a drag going through the lumber at Lowes. I'm actually going by my local sawyer tomorrow to check out some of his red cedar and see what he has. He also mentioned that he has Cypress but I have never worked with it. I'll check it out.

 

[G_ville_worker]

Would white cedar work, the stuff I buy for drawer bottoms is usually pretty clear in terms of knots?

I would prefer white cedar. Where are you getting it? I would need 12' long.

Thanks.

 

[kooshball]

I get mine from Mark Patterson in Sanford. I am not sure what width you need but I know I have bought 12' x 5/4 x 6" rough boards from him.

PM me if you need contact info.

I would prefer white cedar. Where are you getting it? I would need 12' long.

Thanks.

 

[Truefire]

Trent hey man, i would not say it was a long shot to seek lumber from some area resident/small business venue in ref to the Balsa wood you are looking. One never knows what some of these guys might have sitting around either in inventory or at their home shop. Keep searching it out, you will find some.

This site here may have some of the inert material that you are looking, they are located on the Pacific Coast unfortunately for shipping purposes, might be costly not sure. I assumed with their chosen domain name and overall fiberglass supply 'meta tags' on their site you might not have otherwise located these guys through balsa keyword searches.

Thus the reason for the provided link. They sell all kinds of surfboard building paraphernalia.

Perhaps you might find it useful.

take care buddy, Chris